Safety means for certain knitting machine mechanisms



Aug. 6, 1940. v HAEHNEL 2.210238 SAFETY MEANS-FOR CERTAIN KNITTING MACHINE MECHANISMS Filed Oct. 21, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN Herberi Erich fiaebneli,

Aug. 6, 1940. H. E. HAEHNEL 2,210,238

SAFETY mums, FOR CERTAIN KNITTING mom-um macmmxsms Filed Oct. 21, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY :ATTORNE 1940' H. E. HAEHNEL 2,210.238

SAFETY MEANS FOR CERTAIN KNITTING MACHINE MECHANISMS Filed Oct. 21, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet s 53 W5 FLE- E- i 10 I a? f .5 a D4 9' m 3 f7 f; 31 0 51? 1 x 21 I 5 q 2' 55% flwi '5 .20 J I :P

z! 9 6 5i 1 B U E! E! I! 5 I! I! I! ,29 50 [um [H 1H 14?? INVENTORI Herbert Eric] flue/@2103 ATTORN Aug. 6, 1940. I HAEHNEL I 2.210.238

SAFETY MEANS FOR CERTAIN KNITTING MACHINE MECHANISMS Filed OGt. 21, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 1N VEN TOR; Herberi Enid; Hqgfinelg ATTORNE Patented Aug. 6, 1940 stares SAFETY MEANS FQR CERTAIN KNITTING MACHINE MECHANISMS Herbert Erich Haehnel, -West Reading, Pa.,'as-

signer to Textile Machine WorkaWyomissing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application 13 Claims.

lVLy invention relates to full fashioned knitting machines and more particularly to safety means for use with mechanisms on these machines used to produce transferred, spread, or other modified loop formations.

The ordinary full fashioned knitting machine includes a picot bar in each knitting section having points thereon the principal use of which is to make thepicot or look stitch course in the welt by transferring alternate loops from one needle to the next. However, the picot bar opcrates in the same zone as thenarrowing combs and it is common practice to throw the picot bar up toa rest position as soon as the picot course has been made and to swing it down to active position again soon after work has started on a new welt Owing to the desire for large output, the operatives are hurried in placing the picot bars in active and rest positions and sometimes fail to register or mesh the guide members on the rod by which the picot barsare pivotally mounted with the fixed guide members with which they are intended to cooperate.

Also, the guide members may stick, one in the other, and hold the picotbars out of the correct longitudinal. position even when they are in the correct angular position and the guide members are in mesh.

It is an object of my invention to provide a means whereby damage is prevented in case the point bar is not properly engaged by the usual guide means at the time the point bar is dipped.

Another object of my invention is to provide an automatic means to swing the loop manipulat- 1 ing points out of the way of the knitting needles in case the guides for the point bars are not engage-d.

It is another object of my invention to provide means whereby the operative may place the point bar or bars of a knitting machine into active position much more quickly and accurately as compared to the arrangement ordinarily used.

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby a relatively high pressure may be applied to the pivoted point rod to prevent its sticking ina position axially removed from the normal active position.

It is a. well known procedure to hold the point bars in rest position beneath a rail by a spring latch acting on a collar on the pivoted rod or shaft on which the point bars are mounted. However, such latch means has not been a1- together satisfactory in that it has permitted the rod and bars to vibrate sufiiciently at times when October 21, 1938,Serial No. 236,164

in rest position to damage the points by striking against the guard rail. I

It is a further object of my invention to provide an improved latch means for. the point rod adapted to substantially prevent it from vibrat- 5 With these and other objects in View, which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, my invention resides in the novel elements, features of construction and arrangement of parts in cooperative relationship as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention is adapted to carry out the objects aforesaid in any knittingmachine which comprises a narrowing machine having ,a pivoted rod thereon fixed to which is or are one or more pointbars, but which otherwise may be of any known or desired type. Said narrowing machine may be equipped as desired with any or all of the parts usually associated with the picot bar and the rod therefor such as, the guide means for determining the correct angular position of the rod for cooperation between the picot points and the knitting needles; the spring means tending to throw the picot rod into correct'longitudinal position for cooperation between the points and needles; adjustable means for limiting the movement of the picot rod in response to said spring means; a guard rail; and a handle for swinging the picot rod. An arrangement according to my invention comprises a yielding means arranged to turn the shaft on which the picot, lace, non-run bars, or the like, are mounted to throw said bars in the direction tocarry the points out of the path of the knitting needles. Preferably said yielding means comprises a spring and the necessary connections to permit it to act in the desired manner. Such spring, however, is not to be, confused with the coil spring ordinarily provided on the lock stitch rod of a full-fashioned knitting machine. Other specific features for carrying out the objects herein set forth are noted in the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a portion beginning at the left of a full-fashioned knitting machine legger having my improvements applied thereto; 50

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View of the machine taken near the right hand end of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale of a portionof the right hand part 'of Fig. 55

III

1 with certain of the parts being shown in different positions;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the parts in different relative positions;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig, 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the parts in different relative positions and having certain parts broken away for purposes of illustration;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view through a portion of the narrowing machine, taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1, illustrating one of the stop means for the lock switch shaft; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 9--9 of Fig. 1 and illustrating one of the latch means for the lockstitch shaft.

In the drawings and description, only those parts necessary to a complete understanding of the invention have been set forth; further information as to the construction and operation of other elements not herein specifically pointed out, but which are usual and well known, being available in the pamphlet entitled Full Fashioned Knitting Machines, copyright 1920, and in the Reading Full Fashioned Knitting Machine Catalogues, copyright 1929 and 1935, published by the Textile Machine Works, Reading, Pennsylvania,.and in a pamphlet entitled Knitting Machine Lectures, published in 1935 by the Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute, Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.

The machine illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings comprises a frame It on which are mounted the usual main cam shaft II, pattern chain |2,- cam shaft shifting mechanism I3, needle banks I4, narrowing head I5, narrowing nuts I6, and narrowing rods II. Said rods I'I form part of the usual narrowing machine which comprises a rear shaft I8 and a front narrowing shaft I9 from which rods II are supported by brackets 26 (Figs. 5-9). The rear narrowing shaft I8 is pivoted in the frame and connected to the front narrowing shaft I9 by heavy curved arms 2| (Figs. 1 and 2) the front shaft I9 being supported from the cam shaft H by links one of which appears at 22. Links 22 connect by pivots at their lower ends to levers I22 which carry rollers one of which appears at 23 and which rests during normal knitting on a circular disk 24 on shaft H. When shaft II is shifted to the right, as viewed in Fig. l, by the action of the chain I2 in throwing the cam shaft shifting mechanism I3 into operation, rollers 23 are brought onto cams 25, also on shaft II, one of which is companion to each disk 24. The operation of cams 25 causes the front narrowing shaft I 9,

and with it all parts supported therefrom, to dip twice with each revolution of the cam shaft II.

In addition to the rods I1, the brackets 20 support from the front narrowing shaft I9 the lock stitch or picot rod or shaft 26 (Fig. 5), arranged in two parts or halves, the division between which appears clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. Arms I27 fixedly connect shaft 26 to point carrying bars 21, which are adapted, when the bars are lowered and otherwise in correct position, to lift knitted loops from the needles of banks I4 when shaft I9 is dipped and raised by the cams.

Ilars 2'! are shown in Figs. 4 and 6 in the correct or active position in which the points thereon are able when dipped to properly lift knitted loops from the knitting needles, shaft 26, having a collar 42 thereon to determine the proper longitudinal position of the shaft for dipping the points. When the usual narrowing combs (not shown) supported from rods I! are to be used, picot bars 2'! are swung up into the rest position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 8 in which the picot points are not only out of the way of the narrowing combs, but are protected by a rail I26 fixed to the shaft I9. In order to promote the end that the bars 21 shall arrive at the correct position prior to the dipping of shaft I9, the ordinary picot shaft has thereon a number of guide levers or arms 28 (Figs. 1, 3 and 9), which have off-set ends provided with grooves 29 therein designed to embrace lips 3|] projecting downward from brackets 29 when levers 28 are moved longitudinally of the machine in a certain plane. To facilitate bringing the grooves of arms 28 into alignment with projections 30, the connecting arms I21 betweenthe shaft 26 and a lock stitch bar 21 have therein an adjustable stop bolt I48 (Fig. 8) which strikes a rod I29 fixed on the narrowing machine to stop bars 21 and arms 28 in the desired plane. When the grooves 29 and lip 30 are properly aligned, the picot shaft 26 may be pushed downwardly by handle 3| (Fig. 4) and longitudinally by the spring and lever means 32 (Fig. l) to engage the lips in the grooves to prevent angular movement of bars 21 on shaft 26 during the loop shifting operations. When fully pushed home in the longitudinal direction, the shaft 26 holds the bars 21 so that the points at the one ends of the bars lie directly above the needles at the same ends of the needle banks. It often happens, however, that the ends of arms 28 strike the lips 36 thereby preventing proper coaction between the points and the needles. If the operative does not notice this and allows the bars 2'! to be dipped when their points are improperly positioned relative to the needles, a damaging smash may occur. In accordance with my invention, yielding means is provided to swing the bars 21 up into the position shown in Fig. 5, in which the points in bars 21 are out of the path of the knitting needles, unless the lips 30 are engaged in grooves 29. The means illustrated for this purpose comprises a helical spring 5| connected at one end to the upper end of a vertical arm 52 which is clamped to the front narrowing shaft I 9, and arm 52 carries a pin 53 near its upper end whereby the upper end of spring 5| is secured to the arm. The lower end of spring 5| is secured to a band 54 which passes around a collar 55 fixed on shaft 26, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and is fastened to the cylindrical face of the collar so that spring 5| tends to lift bars 21 away from needle banks I4. Also, spring 5| is made strong enough to lift bars 2'! and to support them as shown in Fig. 5 in position in which their points will not strike the needles or damage themselves if dipped. Further, when the bars 21 are held in the position of Fig. 5, the attention of the operative is usually drawn to the fact that the bars are not properly placed, and does not start the machine until they are so.

In order to facilitate entering lips 30 in grooves 29, I have provided a handle or lever 33 (Figs. 3 and 4) pivoted on a bracket 34 also fixed on shaft I 9. The pivot of lever 33 is so arranged that pressure applied to its upper handle end is multiplied at its lower end. The lower end of lever 33 carries a laterally projecting boss lying between and arranged to bear against either of two collars 36 on shaft 26. When the upper end of lever 33 is swung to the right, as viewed from the front of the machine, the boss 35 bearsagainst theleft hand collar 36 and throws shaft 26 to the left. Lever 33 has a latch pin 31 thereon controlled by a latch handle 38 whereby the pin 3'5 can be pulled from and allowed to enter either one of two holes 39, 39 in the upper end 46 of bracket 34. When pin 31 is in the right hand hole 39, shaft 26 is held so far to the left that arms 28 do not touch-brackets 20 or lips 30 and the operative can make sure the arms and lips are in approximately the same plane by pressing on handle 3|. 7 so that pin 31 is in the left hole 39, the operative may rest assured that the lips 30 have been embraced in grooves 29. He can also assure himself that the lock stitch shaft 26 has been pushed to the right the full distance by pressing against handle 3|.

Of course, when pin 31 is in the left hand hole 39, the shaft 26 is nearly the full distance to the right to align the points with the knitting needles, but a clearance sufficient to permit proper opera- .tion of the points is required between the boss 35 and the right hand collar 36 because the shaft 26 is shifted longitudinally at the time of transferring stitches by a wedge 4|, pivotally mounted on the front narrowing shaft I9, which is brought down between the two halves of shaft 26 at the proper times. The movement of wedge M is accomplished in the usual manner by the cam MI (Fig. 2) and linkage mechanism I42. It is apparent that the left hand half of shaft 26, the one principally illustrated, is shifted to the left by the action of wedge 4|. Therefore, the right hand collar 36 is set to provide the required clearance between said boss and collar when the points and knitting needles are in proper alignment for the points to pick up loops from the needles. However, if the left half of shaft 26 has moved enough to the right so that pin 31 may enter the left hand hole 39, the spring of means 32 (Fig. 1) will almost certainly throw the shaft the full distance to the right so that the usual adjustable collar 42 on shaft 26 will strike'its stop I43, the collar 42 and stop I43 being set to ensure that the points and knitting needles will be in alignment when the collar and stop are in contact provided the angular position of shaft 26 is correct as provided for by engagement of lips 36 in groove 29.

After a loop transferring operation of point bars 21, when it is desired to swing the bars up to their rest position, the left half of shaft 26 is shifted to the left from the position as viewed in Fig. 4, to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, to disengage the lips or projections 36 from grooves 29. In accordance with the present invention, this can be done very conveniently by swinging lever 33 until pin 3'! enters the right hand hole 39. The shaft 26 is thereby latched in a position in which point bars 21 can be swung up to rest position without chance of mechanical interference between any of the parts. The left hand collar 36 is then in engagement with the boss 35,

but this does not prevent shaft 26 from swinging readily. To prevent the points in bars 21 from striking rail I26 when the bars 21 are swung up to rest position, an arm I 43 (Fig. 8) is fixed to shaft 26 in position to act as a stop to the motion of the shaft toward rest position by striking shaft I9.

If now, handle 33 is swung over' As shown also, a catch is provided for holding the shaft positively in rest position. The arrangement shown for this purpose (Fig. 3) comprises a catch member'43 having an apertured lug 44' at one end, the left end as seen in Fig. 3, whereby the member 43 is pivoted on rail I26 so as to swing in contact with the rear vertical side of the rail I26. A pin 46 passes through member 43 beneath the lower edge of rail I26 parallel to the axisof member 43 and as close to such axis as convenient, pin 46 acting both as a stop to prevent member 43 from being lifted too far and as a means whereby a spring 41 is connected between member 43 and a point on rail I26 to hold member 43 in its lower position as shown in Figs.

3 and 4. As the bars 21 are swung up, the outer in bars 21 from striking rail I26.

In accordance with my invention, other arms 28 are latched at the same time as the arm engaged by member 43 and, although not so positively, against movement in either direction. This is accomplished by means including horizontal spring plates 48 (Fig. 9) which are attached to vertical arms 49 fixed to the front narrowing shaft I9. Spring plates 48 are bent at their forwardfree ends to engage in grooves 56 in the outer ends of arms 28 whereby an additional latching action. is provided at various points along the shaft 26. It is an important advantage of my invention that the spring latch plates 48 act on arms 28 at their outer ends and therefore at a considerable distance from shaft 26. The latch means therefore have the maximum leverage and hold the shaft in rest position with minimumvibration. The points in bars 27 are thereby preserved from damage which might be caused by vibrating enough under the present-day high speeds to strike guard rail I26.

When the time arrives for the next loop lifting operation of bars 21, the positive latch member 43 is lifted by hand to release the arm 23 which cooperates therewith and a pull on bars 21 or handle 3i will then dislodge the other arms 28 from spring latch'plates 48 and permit bar 2'5 to be lowered and brought to operating position as above described.

While it has been usual to provide means for holding the bars 21 in their lowered position, my spring 5i performs the function of balancing part of the weight of bars 21 and of the arms attached to shaft 26 both in raising and lowering bars 21, and of holding the points out of the way of the needles when the bars are lowered, but not locked in their operative position. I

With the points held out of the way of the needles by the spring 5|, if the operative moves the handle 33 to theleft as viewed in Fig. 4, the arms 28 will be positioned in front of their respective brackets 26, whereupon the spring 5| will maintain the points in the position of Fig. 5. Furthermore, if the operative, upon pressing the handle 3| downwardly does not align the notch 29 of the arm 28 with the lip 30 of the bracket 20, the arm 28, upon being moved to the left by the lever 33, will engage the side of thebracket' 20 thereby preventing the lever from being latched in its left position; thus, upon release, the handle will be biased to the right by a spring 56, as shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the spring '5! will immediately raise the points to the position of Fig. 5, in which position the points are out of the way of the needles.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my spring means 5| cooperates closely with the shaft shifting lever 33 .and latch handle 38 in preventing damage to the points and needles in that whenever the operative swings bars 21 down and pushes the shaft 26 toward the center of the machine almost or wholly as far as necessary to bring the points into their correct axial positions for transferrng stitches and places the latch pin 31 of lever 33 in the left hand hole 39 of the bracket 34, but the parts 30 are not engaged in the grooves 29, the spring Si is able to swing shaft 26 to raise the points in bars 2'! out of the way of the knitting needles and thereby prevent damage to the machine.

Of course, the improvements specifically shown and described by which I obtain the above results, although illustrated and described in connection with the well known picot attachment, is obviously adapted for use with other red operating mechanisms and can be changed and modified in various ways without departing from the invention herein disclosed and hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

' 1. In a full fashioned knitting machine having knitting needles, in combination, a point bar having points for cooperating with the knitting needles and mounted to swing on a pivoted rod from an active to a rest position, said rod mounted to move also longitudinally of its axis, means arranged to multiply pressure applied to it and to assist in moving said bar into the correct longitudinal position for cooperation with the needles, and means for latching said means approximately in the position corresponding to said correct position of said bar.

2. In a full fashioned knitting machine having knitting needles, the combination of a point bar having points for cooperation with the needles and mounted to swing on a pivoted rod from an active to a rest position, said rod mounted to move also longitudinally of its axis, a lever arranged to multiply pressure applied to it and pivoted to assist in moving the rod into the correct position for cooperation between the points and the needles, and means for latching said lever in a position insuring that the point bar is approximately in the correct longitudinal position for the points to cooperate with the needles.

3. In a full fashioned knitting machine having knitting needles, the combination of a point bar having points for cooperation with the needles and mounted to swing on a pivoted rod from an active to a rest position, said rod mounted to move also longitudinally of its axis, latch means including an arm fixed to said rod arranged to latch said rod and bar against angular movement in the lower position of the bar by longitudinal movement of the rod, and a second latch means including a groove in the end of said arm arranged to latch the rod against angular movement in the rest position of the bar.

4. In a full fashioned knitting machine having knitting needles, the combination of a point bar having points for cooperation with the needles and mounted to swing on a pivoted rod from an active to a rest position, said rod mounted to move also longitudinally of its axis, an arm mounted to swing in unison with said bar and having" a groove inone face forming part of a means for holding said bar in its proper angular position for cooperation with the needles, and a groove in another face of said arm forming part of a means for holding said bar in its rest position and for preventing vibration thereof in said position, and'means arranged to multiply pressure applied to the rod and to assist in moving said bar into the correct longitudinal position for cooperation with the needles.

5. In a full fashioned knitting machine, the combination as set out in claim 4 and in which the means for preventing vibration includes a leaf spring engaging the second groove.

6. In a full fashioned knitting machine having knitting needles, the combination of a point ba'r having points for cooperation with the needles and mounted to swing on a pivoted rod from an active to a rest position, a. band fixed at one end to said rod and curved thereabout, and a spring fixed to the other end of said band and adapted and arranged to support said bar in a positionintermediate its active and rest position.

'7. In a full fashioned knitting machine, the combination as set out in claim 6 together with a collar fixed on the rod intermediate the band and the rod.

8. The combination in a full fashioned knitting machine of an axially shiftable shaft having points supported therefrom, knitting needles for cooperating with said points in the production of modified loops, a collar on said shaft, a hand lever arranged to act on said collar to press said shaft approximately to the proper axial position for the production of modified loops, means to latch said hand lever in the position corresponding to said approximate position of the shaft, a latch means having interengaging parts adapted to hold said shaft in the proper angular position for the production of modified loops, and resilient means: for swinging said shaft to prevent contact between said points and needles when said parts are not engaged.

9. In a full fashioned knitting machine having knitting needles, the combination of a point bar having points for cooperation with the needles and mounted to swing on a pivoted rod from an active to a rest position, said rod mounted to move also longitudinally of its axis, latch means for releasably holding said bar in rest position comprising an arm fixed on said rod engaging with a part having an end rigidly secured relative to: the pivot of the rod, and a second latch means for holding the bar in active position and releasable by a longitudinal movement of said pivoted rod, which also includes the arm fixed to the rodand forming part of the latch means acting in the rest position, and means arranged to multiply pressure applied to the rod and to assist in moving said bar into correct longitudinal position for cooperation with the needles and to longitudinally move said rod to release said latch means.

10. In a full fashioned knitting machine having knitting needles, the combination of a point bar having points for cooperation with the needles and mounted to swing on a pivoted rod from an active to a rest position, said rod mounted to move also longitudinally of its axis, means arranged to multiply pressure applied to the rod and to assist in moving said bar into the correct longitudinal position for cooperation with the needles and yielding means so arranged with respect to said rod as to swing it part way from active toward rest position when the bar is not in hold the bar and its points out of the way of the needles if the bar is dipped when free.

11. In a full fashioned knittingmachine having knitting needles, the combination of a point bar having points for cooperation with the needles and mounted to swing on a pivoted rod from an active to a'rest position, said rod mounted to move also longitudinally oi its axis, means arranged to multiply pressure applied to the rod and to assist in moving said bar into correct longitudinal position for cooperation with the "needles, and yielding means so arranged with respect to said rod as to swing it part way'from active toward rest position when the bar has 'not been moved to said correct longitudinal posi tion.

12. In a full fashioned knitting machine having knitting needles, the combination of a point bar having points for cooperation with the needles and mounted to swing on a pivoted rod from an active to a rest position, said rod mounted to move also longitudinally of its axis, means arranged to multiply pressureapplied to it and.

to assist-in moving said bar into correct longitudinal position for cooperation with the needles, means for latching said means approximately in the position correspondingto said correct position of said bar, and yielding. means so arranged with respect to said bar as to swing it part way from active-toward rest position when the bar has not been moved to said correct longitudinal position.

13. In a full fashioned knitting machine having knitting needles, the combination of a point bar having points for cooperation with the needles and mounted to swing on a pivoted rod from an active to a rest position, said rod mounted to move also longitudinally of its axis, latch means including an arm fixed to said rod arranged to latch said rod and bar against angular movement in the lower position'of the bar by longitudinal movement of the rod, means arranged to multiply pressure applied to it and to assist in moving said rod longitudinally, and a second latch means including a groove in the end of said arm arranged to latch the rod against angular movement in the rest position of the bar.

HERBERT ERICH HAEI-INEL. 

